Hua Cishu wasn’t an idiot; he had simply lacked someone to teach him. His small face turned red.
“Master, I’ll just spit in a bottle then.” Peeing was out of the question; it was far too embarrassing.
Wen Li chuckled softly. “Alright. Anyway, if you encounter that kind of person again, hit them if you can win. If you can’t, come back and tell me, and I’ll lash them to death.”
Hua Cishu pouted and turned his head to look up at Wen Li.
“Master, can I lash them myself?”
“Sure. I’ll hold them down, and you can lash them or cut them. If that doesn't satisfy you, you can make them pull the carriage you're sitting in. Let them be your ‘good friends’ for once.”
Wen Li pulled his braids and silver bells to the back. The bells jingled softly. Her tone was cold and indifferent, yet it brought a sense of peace.
“...”
Hua Cishu, having successfully tested Wen Li’s tolerance once more, was dazed. A glimmer appeared in his amber pupils. He found himself unable to understand this incredibly clever and mysterious person. Did she realize that every time he tore open his scars to play the victim, it was only to win her sympathy? It was a repeated test of her sincerity toward him.
Why on earth was she so good to him?
Hua Cishu pursed his lips into a smile, lowered his eyes, and rested his head on Wen Li’s lap.
“Master is so good.”
His long, thick eyelashes hid the depth of his gaze.
Seeing that he no longer intended to sleep with her, Wen Li breathed a sigh of relief and patted his shoulder. “Alright, go to sleep. I’ll take you out to play tomorrow morning.”
Hua Cishu was curious. “Where are we going?”
“To a music concert.”
“Huh?”
【Ding! +2% to the Salvation Progress Bar for the villain Hua Cishu. Current progress: 12%.】
Wen Li’s eyes darkened slightly as she heard the long-awaited notification. As she suspected, Number Five looked like the most clingy and closest to her, but the guardedness and testing in his heart were heavier than any other disciple. She had worked so hard, yet the progress only increased by a tiny bit. He was quite stingy.
...
The next day.
In the vast expanse of the Southern Province, there was an incredibly prosperous city. Today happened to coincide with a centennial grand celebration, and the entire city was immersed in a joyful and peaceful atmosphere.
Xianle City was crowded with people. Commoners and cultivators alike were moving toward the city center. Colorful flags hung from the pavilions along the streets, and the air was filled with the clamor of voices. It felt as if a grand festival was being held.
“Wow, this is the Xianle Grand Ceremony, held once every hundred years in the Fengyin Kingdom! It’s hosted by the Tingyin Pavilion, and many top-tier music cultivators from across the Southern Province have gathered here to discuss the Dao of Music. It’s said that at the end, Tingyin Pavilion's most powerful Supreme Elder will even appear to perform. In the past, any cultivator who heard his music would experience some sort of insight. Some even returned home and immediately gained enlightenment, breaking through their bottlenecks and raising their cultivation. This is a rare opportunity for good fortune!”
Wen Li had dressed Hua Cishu up beautifully. She held him with her left hand and Zongzheng Huangyue with her right, treating them with equal care as they walked down the street. She listened to the voice beside her that sounded like a familiar NPC narrating the plot.
The three of them turned their heads.
“Oh, what a coincidence!”
Yan Yurong, dressed in flamboyant red robes, snapped his fan shut against his palm. His eyes lit up as he looked at the three of them—or more accurately, at Wen Li, who had validated his wish as a grand ambition the previous day.
After all, there weren't many cultivators who understood his aspirations; she was the only one who didn't despise him and had even praised him.
Wen Li couldn’t help but ask, “Fellow Daoist, have you always had this habit of narrating the plot since you were a child?”
She seriously suspected that this guy wasn't human but a string of data—an NPC specifically designed to broadcast the plot.
“Huh?” Yan Yurong was baffled. “Narrating what plot?”
He didn't quite understand her words, but after thinking about it carefully, he seemed to get the gist. “Oh, are you referring to my habit of explaining things? I don’t know. When I was a child, everyone said I was a chatterbox who liked to say everything out loud. It just so happens to provide an explanation for the people nearby. I’ve made quite a few friends because of it.”
Wen Li nodded. Oh, she got it. His attribute was an NPC.
Specifically for narrating the plot.
Yan Yurong looked at Hua Cishu, who was staring intently at the fan in his hand. His eyes crinkled. “Little friend, we meet again. I haven't thanked you for helping me up last time. Since I see you like this fan, why don't I just give it to you?”
He generously handed the gold-leaf paper fan to the curious Hua Cishu.
Hua Cishu thanked him politely. “Thank you, Big Brother.”
He took the fan and turned it over and over, looking at it. This was his first time seeing such a thing. Huh, there are words on it.
He still hadn't learned many words, so he couldn't read them.
As the guardian, Wen Li naturally offered her thanks as well.
“Thank you, Fellow Daoist.”
She casually glanced at the words on the fan: “The world is dangerous; if you can’t win, retreat. If you see injustice, take a detour.” Oho, he was a seasoned cultivator with taste and insight just like her.
However, she still didn't understand why he would put a pair of holey underwear in a box and lock it.
“It’s nothing, a small matter,” Yan Yurong said, waving his hand politely. “If it weren’t for some accursed thief stealing my storage bag yesterday and taking most of my wealth, I should have given the little friend a gold fan instead.”
The culprit, Hua Cishu, remained calm and silent as he fanned himself. Wen Li, who had shared the stolen goods, frowned with righteous indignation. “Ah, there’s actually such a person? That’s simply too much. I wonder if you have any leads? If you need help, feel free to ask us.”
“What's infuriating is that I don’t know who did it. The Teleportation Pavilion was so crowded and chaotic yesterday. Whatever, I’ll just consider it bad luck. Perhaps that thief will block some disaster for me in the future.” Yan Yurong felt helpless.
The number of people passing by gradually decreased as everyone headed in the same direction. Yan Yurong liked making friends, so he simply asked Wen Li directly.
“Fellow Daoist, are you going to see the Xianle Grand Ceremony?”
Wen Li nodded. “Yes. Is Fellow Daoist Yan going as well?”
“Naturally. This is a major event in the Southern Province. Even cultivators who aren't music cultivators will come to observe and experience it. Since we're heading the same way, why don't we travel together and become friends?”
Since there was an NPC who offered free plot narration, Wen Li was naturally willing.
“Alright. I am... Yin Fengcong.”
“These are my two disciples, Feng Qingyuan and Hua Xiaowu.”
Hua Cishu, who was playing with the fan beside her, silently looked up. “Master...”
That name sounded like a puppy’s. Could he change it? Even Hua Maoqiu would be better than Little Five or Little Six.
Wen Li silently reached out and pinched his mouth shut, forcibly muting him. She would not accept any objections.
Yan Yurong looked surprised. “Oh, Fellow Daoist Yin has taken disciples at such a young age. Your cultivation must be excellent. I am ignorant; I wonder who Fellow Daoist Yin’s master is?”
The group began to talk as they walked.
Wen Li felt those words sounded somewhat familiar. Oh, she remembered. When she had taken Yao Dai to catch Xie Tinglan, she had encountered two idiots from the Lingjian Sect. The older idiot had asked her the same thing.
“I’m just a rogue cultivator.”
How had she answered back then?
Sigh, she was getting old; her memory was failing. Wen Li rambled whatever came to mind.
“Taking disciples is only out of fear that when I’m old and my ass is loose, there’ll be no one to wipe it for me when I shit my pants.”
After saying that, Wen Li froze. Huh, why does that still sound so familiar? Whatever, it wasn’t important.
“Uh...”
The same scene, the same protagonist, but the reaction of a different person was identical. Yan Yurong was stunned by her words. His throat tightened as he was about to speak, and for a moment, he forgot to respond. His mind buzzed as he mentally chewed on that sentence.
Finally.
“...”
Yan Yurong, who had always made friends and seen many great things, felt his expression shatter. The disgust and astonishment in his eyes were indescribable; clearly, he was imagining a certain scene in his mind.
After that, the group actually stopped talking. Yan Yurong and Wen Li fell into a mutual silence.
Wen Li was busy buying snacks along the way to feed Hua Cishu and Zongzheng Huangyue.
As for Yan Yurong, he was silently immersed in his own world, not daring to think about what he had just heard.
Thus, the four of them maintained a bizarre atmosphere as they arrived at the place where the crowds converged.
Rate on N.U.
